Taylor Swift drops new track “The Archer”

Taylor Swift, star of the evil Cats film, has released a new song titled “The Archer” ahead of the release of her upcoming seventh record Lover. The third song to be released from the album (after “ME!” featuring Brendon Urie and “You Need To Calm Down,”) “The Archer” is the fifth track on Lover — a placement significant for Swift, who has generally placed emotive, fan-favorite tracks fifth in sequence on her records. Swift acknowledged as much during an Instagram Live announcing the song, telling fans that she had begun putting the most emotional songs of her records fifth since fans alerted her to the trend.

“The Archer” was produced by Swift’s frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff, and is something of a return to form after the ordeal that was the first two Lover singles. “The Archer” is generally everything “ME!” and “You Need To Calm Down” were not — it’s mature, restrained, and flexes Swift’s skill for writing immediate, emotionally resonant lyrics that don’t talk down to her listeners. It doesn’t have a single standout hook or chorus — and it builds and builds to nowhere in particular — so it might not have much of a prospect on the charts, but it’s still a highlight of Swift’s latest campaign. Listen to “The Archer” above.

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